so jim, let's start with you. what happened and why? >> well, the union navy was on a roll in the fall and winter of '61 and '62 and the spring of 1862. and it looked like they were going to open up the mississippi river completely in the summer of 1862. vicksburg was really the only confederate bastion still on the mississippi river, and both the sea-going fleet under, now-admiral david farrogot came up from the gulf of mexico to vicksburg and the so-called we were flotilla of river boats fought down the mississippi, capturing memphis on the way and a number of other places as well, and they combined to bombard vicksburg, but it was clear that the city could not -- the batteries could not be taken without the support of army troops. and general hellic, who was the army commander in that teeter -- i like to call him general "can't be done." tells farrogot if he could ferry his troops to help -- to capture vicksburg, and hellic said, can't be done. don't have enough troops. the level of the river was dropping so much, the union naval for